Lab Track: Trees

Ozomatli is known for radical, irreverent music infused with hip hop, salsa, reggae, and jazz and tinged with controversial political overtones. So when I found out they made a children’s album, I was more than a little surprised.

If you consider the genre’s current selection, though (a particularly apt Portlandia skit comes to mind), the album is a huge boon to the children’s music world. As Slate rock critic Rob Harvilla put it, “[They’re] at least trying to change one particularly troubling aspect of kids’ music: It is generally very, very, very, very white.”

One selection from the album, entitled Ozokidz, expounds on the subject of how trees grow. Enjoy!

This has been another installment of Monday Lab Tracks. Send us your musical recommendations through our contact link at the top of the page, and tell us what you think of the song in the comments below!

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Ashley Hamer (aka Smashley) is a saxophonist and writer living in Chicago, where she performs regularly with the funk band FuzZz and jazz ensemble Big Band Boom. She also does standup comedy, sort of, sometimes. Her tenor saxophone's name is Ladybird.